The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has delivered a forceful call for partnership rooted in shared interest and mutual respect, declaring that “Africa does not need sympathy. Africa needs a partnership built on shared interest, mutual respect, and a common vision,” he stated.
At the opening of the Africa Forward Summit at the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, May 11, Dr. Agyepong rejected the mindset that forces Africans to access capital markets only under restrictive conditions.
“Why should Africa export her problems when she can build industries to solve them? Why does Africa not have access to capital markets without tough conditions and restrictions? And why has Africa not yet fully utilised and harnessed the wealth of natural resources and human capital available to her?” he asked, presenting the three questions that have guided every decision he has made.
The two-day summit (11-12 May 2026), co-hosted by Kenya’s President William Ruto and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, marked the first Africa-France summit co-chaired with an English-speaking African nation.
Under the theme “To Build Together,” the gathering includes seven thematic pillars, ranging from the energy transition and AI to the blue economy and the reform of the international financial architecture.
From $3 and the Streets
Dr. Agyepong revealed his humble beginnings, growing up with sixteen siblings and selling goods as a street hawker due to financial difficulties. “My initial capital of 3 dollars from my mother as an investment launched me into the world of entrepreneurship, birthing resilience and enthusiasm,” he said.
From those footsteps, he told the audience, the Jospong Group has grown into a conglomerate with 82 independent subsidiaries across nine business clusters, active in 29 countries, employing 10,000 direct staff and creating more than 250,000 indirect jobs.
Waste: An Unmined Resource, Not a Failure
Addressing the summit’s focus on financial growth through entrepreneurship in waste management, Dr. Agyepong laid out stark global figures: the world generates 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, set to reach 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Sub-Saharan Africa alone produces over 174 million tonnes a year, yet less than 4% is properly managed or recycled – compared to Europe’s 48% recycling rate.
“Every tonne of unmanaged waste in Africa is not a failure. It is an unmined resource waiting for the entrepreneur bold enough to claim it,” he stressed.
He noted that Jospong has spent 20 years building capacity, operating 40 treatment plants across material recovery, liquid waste, medical waste, and hazardous waste, making it the largest waste management operator in Africa. “We have the technical solutions and the financial models. What is still needed is the capital and the partnerships to grow.”
A Direct Challenge to Investors and Rating Agencies
Turning to global finance, Dr. Agyepong urged investors to rethink how they assess risk. “Long-term capital put into African circular economy businesses generates returns that short-term models simply cannot match. In waste management, demand never goes down. Investing here is not being generous. It is building a long-term partnership with a continent.
”He warned that “Asians have developed a way,” and called on development partners to remodel their financial architecture to support African-led solutions. He specifically invited collaboration alongside the African Development Bank, BPI, AFD Group, the International Finance Corporation, European development finance institutions, European EXIM, and European ECA.
Call to African Entrepreneurs and Commitment to Expansion
On young African entrepreneurs, who make up about 60% of the continent’s population, he called them “our greatest hope and our most urgent responsibility,” urging them to become founders and builders of a digital era in waste management.
Dr. Agyepong committed Jospong Group to open collaboration, co-investment and leading continent-wide conversations on circular economy financing. He also committed to scaling its environmental platform to five new African markets by 2028, creating 50,000 green jobs and opening its models to co-investment on equal terms.
“The green economy is not coming to Africa. We are building it. The invitation is open to all who choose to build with us,” he said.
“Africa’s story is being written right now, in this room. When historians look back at this time, they will not see a continent held back by its challenges. They will see the moment Africa chose to turn its greatest challenges into its greatest industries. Waste is not Africa’s shame. Waste is Africa’s next frontier,” he said.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron opened the summit by calling for a new partnership rather than influence.
According to him, the changing geopolitical landscape meant that France can “disagree” with West African governments but “never disagrees with the people”.
In his welcome address, Kenyan President William Ruto underscored the importance of the summit becoming a “turning point” towards a better partnership.
Also present at the summit were the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, nearly 30 CEOs from Africa and France, tech and innovation leaders and some 400 youth delegates whose voices are integrated into the final declaration.
